The Mineola Village Board trimmed an additional $19,200 from the 2011-12 budget before unanimously approving a $18.5 million plan at its April 20 meeting that increases spending 3.5 percent over this year.
Most of the savings were realized by changing insurance carriers and included a $4,200 reduction in life insurance coverage and a $13,000 reduction in dental insurance coverage for municipal employees.
Village Treasurer Giacomo Ciccone also said that the village’s share of sales tax revenue from the county was reduced slightly from $53,487 to $52,234 based on final figures issued by the county administration.
“It pains me to say we have to increase the budget. We can’t print money,” said Village of Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss.
Strauss said the village board would have been able to craft “a legitimate zero tax increase” without the state-mandated pension and insurance increases factored into next year’s budget.
“It does hurt to say we’re increasing taxes. But it could be so much worse,” Strauss said after the meeting.
He said that the average residential tax bill in Mineola is $1,400 this year.
“We’re not cutting services,” said Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira. “It is the reality and we’re trying to prepare ourselves for next year.”
Pereira called the budget a “responsible” one.
Trustee Lawrence Werther described the budget as “fair and balanced,” but dismissed the county sales tax return from the county as “an insult.”
Werther said Mineola’s share of county sales revenues should be in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars” and said the board should petition state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) to draft a bill that would “balance the playing surface.”
Werther also suggested that the village board should impose heavier fines on commercial vehicles that cause damage to village streets and sidewalks.
“Commercial vehicles are causing havoc on our curbs,” Werther said. “I don’t think these things should fall on the shoulders of our residents.”
In one recent instance, construction vehicles revamping the Winthrop-University Hospital parking garage on Jericho Turnpike accidentally damaged the curb adjacent to the parking garage. But Ciccone assured the board that Winthrop would pay for the necessary repairs to the sidewalk.
“There’s not a doubt in anybody’s mind that they’re going to take care of it,” said Ciccone, who explained after the meeting that the village has an understanding with Winthrop that “whatever needs to be repaired, will be.”
In another development, village building department superintendent Daniel Whelan said he had responded to residents’ complaints about political graffiti on the property of a former Getty gas station on Herricks Road.
Whelan said he had contacted the property owner, who told Whelan the graffiti would be removed.
On a recreation issue, resident Rick Masso told the board members that the four municipal tennis court in Mineola Memorial Park and the two tennis courts at Wilson Park have been badly neglected by the village over the past decade.
“No maintenance has been done on those tennis courts in the past 10 years,” Masso said. “They’re becoming an eyesore.”
He said he recently noticed that moss was growing between the cracks on one of the tennis courts.
Masso said he was speaking on behalf of elderly residents who use the courts.
Strauss replied the village would check the condition of the courts.
Agreeing with Masso that the tennis courts in the park should be maintained, Strauss said, “The parks here in Mineola are one of the crown jewels in the village.”
